Computer systems rely on memory media for storage. Such media include hard drives, removable disks, and memory sticks that may be formatted for use with devices such as magnetic or optical writers and readers. Files and directory structures stored on the media, including data and executable instructions (e.g., programs), form an image commonly referred to as a disk image.
As the disk image on a computer system may be corrupted or lost due to software errors or hardware failure, a copy of the disk image may be stored elsewhere for use in restoring the computer system to the state represented by the disk image. The process of restoring the disk image generally involves over-writing the previous disk image. This re-imaging process typically involves wiping the disk or other storage media and writing the disk image onto the wiped disk.
Alternatively, a computer system's disk image may be overwritten by another disk image during, for example, an upgrade process. In this case, the original disk image may be operating normally, but the re-imaging may result in the original disk image being overwritten by the new disk image.
However, current re-imaging processes are limited, and new and improved methods for re-imaging are needed.